Around 6.30 am, staff at a restaurant opposite the Times Tower in Lower Parel`s Kamala Mills woke up to the sight of smoke rising from the 15-storey building. As a precaution, employees of various businesses housed in the complex were barred from entering initially.

The tower, home to a news channel, offices, and restaurants, quickly became the centre of firefighting efforts. "I arrived at 7 am, but they wouldn`t let me in through Kamala Mills main gate," said Zakir Hussain, a worker at Youunion Mumbai, located across from the tower.